The Beauty of Holly Williams

October 1, 2014

I have sung the praises of Holly Williams in a previous post, “The Grace of Holly Williams.” I cannot think of a single album, ever, that has impressed me as much as her third album, The Highway, released early last year. It’s perfect, if such a thing is possible. From beginning to end, it is perfect.

Let me quote from my earlier post:

Holly’s joy is not cheap, much less contrived for the sake of eliciting a transitory emotional attachment. There is emotion to be sure, lots of it, but its origin — its wellspring or fountain, to be more poetic — is beyond oneself. It is in one’s family, a favorite theme for Holly, or the love of a spouse or in the bitter sorrows of a friend suffering from alcohol addiction. When the song’s theme is grief, it is never morose, never indulgent. In other words, Holly teaches us how to live. That is what a great artist does. That is what art does. Even though only a few of her songs will explicitly reference her Christian faith, grace is everywhere. This allows her to trust life.

And that is to say nothing of the music, which is superb throughout. And her vocals are, somehow, both intense and comforting. The Highway closes with “Waiting on June,” her finest song and an accomplishment that should stun every songwriter in Nashville. Yesterday, Holly gave birth to her first child, “Stella June Coleman” [HT: Trigger]. The first name is that of Holly’s great-great aunt, and the middle name is after her maternal grandmother, June. “Waiting on June” follows the life of Holly’s grandmother from marriage to the grave and even to heaven.

A couple weeks ago, Holly released an official video for the song:

All of the ingredients that make Holly special — a beautiful soul and a beautiful person — are in this song.